Delusions of Insignificance
by Over Worked Witch
Summary: A tale focused on our favorite Doctor. The Fae feed from humans, using them for their own nourishment & pleasure but when humans start to attack Light Fae the order of things begins to change. As a struggle between the old clans and a new enemy from within threatens everything, questions are raised and Lauren finds herself as the one that's unaligned after Bo picks a side. Doccubus
1. Chapter 1

Lauren sat in the lab, and for the first time was waiting on results from her project. In the last few weeks since the Garuda had been defeated, she had actually found herself less in the lab and more around Bo. The succubus had charmingly insisted that figuring out to stop Fae Armageddon meant no running tests on unknown samples, or investigating microbes, which would lead to skipped meals and using caffeine as a substitute for sleep.

There was still work that required her presence in the compound, but Lauren had noticed that her schedule had come to include far more time spent at the crack shack than any other singular location she visited. Bo had even invited her out twice in the last week to help with a case. It turned out mostly to be dead ends Bo dealing with Fae of questionable fealty when they were threatened by an angry succubus.

Even with getting some alone time with the succubus on the definitely not dates, physically things had not escalated much farther than lingering hugs, and she always went back to her apartment at night. Any time a moment came along where that might change Kenzi seemed to make an appearance. Last night had been no different, right as she got up the courage to pull Bo towards her, Kenzi inexplicably knocked all the pots out of the cupboard. That Hale and Dyson regularly used Bo's help with their cases in the last weeks also meant Bo spending more time with the wolf than Lauren preferred.

Despite the constant interruptions and the occasional awkward conversation, it was nice to enjoy a domestic home life, even though she really wasn't at her own place much. Though, with her lighter workload Lauren did regret not putting just a little more time towards her personal project. The possibility of time restraints in the future encouraged the idea that she should start as quickly as possible. If nothing else the results from the tests she ran on Bo's cellular structure would take weeks to analysis and if she ever had to run additional tests to confirm those would probably take weeks as well seeing as Bo was far from the world's most cooperative patient.

The succubus's efforts to get her to relax and leave the project for another day, which turned into another week and then three weeks, were very convincing. Plus Lauren didn't miss the uncomfortable body language from the Fae any time their conversation touched on what the tests could reveal. When the succubus finally asked her flat out to leave it alone Lauren didn't need any further convincing given such was a definite breakthrough in their communication barrier. The choice between long days in the lab, which admittedly could get very exciting, over the lazy days practically sitting in Bo's lap, which had the opportunity for a completely different type of excitement, was made the moment Bo looked terrified at being so open about her fears. Bo had always meant more to her than any experiment.

Today the succubus was out with Kenzi and she was taking some steps to better understanding Bo, well on a cellular level anyway. Running a simple test to compare the woman's basic cellular structure to other Fae known to have similarly diverse lineages was not likely to solve the mystery of Bo, in any sense, but the preliminary results showed more promise than she had theorized. With the rest of the day to adjust the other tests Lauren settled on taking a break and letting Bo know about the progress.

It wasn't until she reached the clinic that the noise level in the compound became more than background noise. When the guards moved around it sounded like a herd of elephants as they moved around, which wasn't surprising given most were Ogres, or Giants, and they liked to announce everything they were doing these days with an alert system.

Beneath the obvious noise, there was an almost frantic sound, and it already had attracted most her staff's attention. Before she could even reach the door, one of the guards pushed through followed by a flood of agony. Fae, some she knew, some she didn't, guards, civilians, old, young, poured in as others shouted orders over the clear sounds of distress.

To a random observer, simply caught in the chaos, the scene probably looked like hell, but as a doctor the screaming and bloodied bandages applied in haste were a good sign actually. It was only when those bring brought in were quiet and there was nothing come out of them that an emergency truly worried her.

"Doctor Lewis, please help."

Lauren moved around the doctors and nurses to where the panicked voice had echoed from. She didn't recognize the Fae that had called her over, but the guard on the bed was someone whom she spoke to almost daily. Karen, the new head of security, was one of the few Fae that genuinely cared about those outside their clan and to see her battered caused her professional manners to slip. "Karen, what happened to you?"

"There was a group of us coming back to the city with Elder Kauri, and suddenly we went from being stuck in traffic to being stuck in traffic the windows being smashed in. It was like everyone started reenacting the Great War in the streets, except, I've never seen humans fight like that before." The man looked more frightened than the injured harpy as the Fae explained what caused the cut across her forehead.

"Humans?"

"Dozens of them and they didn't stop until Elder Kauri got involved. Even then it didn't last."

"Elder Kauri got involved in the conflict?" Elder Kauri was a sylph, which had made her involvement in politics a surprise to most Fae, and Lauren had never had she heard of one manipulate humans in such a direct manner.

"Yeah, weirdest thing I've ever seen, and I once had to watch a group of pups try to argue economics with a nixie. Good thing she did though as they didn't seem to care that we weren't humans, and every time we pushed them back more came running over to join in like it was a damn party."

"The Elder, was she hurt?" Even as Lauren worked on the young Fae on bed her mind was on the fallout if they lost the Elder because of human hands. The attack itself was provocation, but killing an Elder would be more than just a political issue for a lot of Light Fae and there would be a war no matter what the Council decided.

"She's fine. A little battered, but I had her moved to a safe house, and a medic will be there to treat the injuries. I'll get a status update once secure communications are established. There should be roadblocks set up by now and most of the others I saw were being taken to the medical center. We tried to get as many of the injured into the cars as we could and get them here, but some of the groups were huge and with Elder I didn't want to risk it."

The woman had done far more than most would have done, Fae or human, and she wasn't surprised when the Fae at her bedside looked more worried about the injuries than the harpy did.

"Doctor Lewis, is she going to be okay?"

"She's going to need stitches and bed rest until we know for certain there aren't any internal injuries, but if everything looks good in an hour I doubt there will even be a scar." Her patient seemed to only notice the positive end of the sentence as Karen pushed off the bed and glared as the Fae next to her quietly protested.

"I'm fine and Lauren needs to know some things. As head of security for the Compound it's my duty to inform the Chief Medical Officer of anything that involves the health of a council member." Lauren watched the large man shrink, though not literally, which could be entirely possible depending on the Fae, under the brief verbal lashing.

"Elder Kauri?"

"I don't know for sure, but the Elder I've been watching has been easily distracted and disoriented for someone selected to watch over a territory this size. Whatever she did it took a focus that had been there before. I never even saw another group coming around a corner until we were leaving and they had literally fallen over backwards trying to get a better look at the sky."

"Thank you Karen, I'll be sure to ask Elder Kauri about it later just to make sure." Giving the two Fae a few seconds of privacy Lauren pushed aside the curtain and stepped into the chaos. She didn't spare a thought at what those that attacked the group might have ended up looking like as she sought out a nurse to take care of the harpy. A Fae with the power to stop an entire group of people, and be better for it, sounded far too familiar. Before the thought could linger for long, the doors opened again and the already overcrowded clinic came on the verge of simply being overran.

It took hours for the clinic to settle down in response to the police measures going into place. Most of their patients had come in during those first fifteen minutes, but occasionally another Fae showed up after realizing they had fared worse in an attack than they wanted to admit. The ones that were sensitive about their injuries she left to the other doctors. After they had stabilized those needing to be monitored, and released the rest, she worked in her office on the reports for those they couldn't save.

The door had been left open on purpose and somewhere around the fifth hour after dinner was a forgotten concept Lauren felt someone staring at her. On the rare occasion it happened she usually just found the experience unnerving, but Lauren felt completely exposed as she found the source. The woman was dressed in her usual attire of a V-neck shirt and dark jeans as she spoke to one of the nurses, but her eyes never broke contact after Lauren found them.

When Fae looked at her it was usually because they were listening to her diagnosis and even then they never would have ignored another Fae unless the conservation held extreme importance. Yet, the brunette started towards her without even a glance towards anyone else in the room.

It was a moment of human weakness, but Lauren felt superior for just that instant. She had to look awful after everything that had happened and Julie was a redhead with a smile that often brought in patients complaining of injuries that in no way required medical assistance. Every time Bo talked to her Lauren figured there had to be a mistake in the universe. She was a ward of the Ash, well when a new one was selected anyway, a human. There was no reason she should attract any interest from the unaligned Fae, especially when the woman could practically have any Fae she wanted simply by walking by them.

"Hi, mind if I sit down? I promise not to touch anything." Bo had found some difficulty in reading the doctor even as Julie went over what the woman had and hadn't been doing. Lauren never seemed to realize just how fond her staff was of her and Bo had found that common ground very fertile when asking for updates on one of her favorite people. Getting closer hadn't helped much as the Lauren simply looked exhausted and even her energy seemed lacking in anything specific.

"You want to sit down?" The only time she could recall Bo spending enough time in the compound to the point she wanted to sit down was during her treatments.

"Yes, I do that sometimes when I'm not standing."

"Right, of course, please sit." At the smirk on the Fae's face Lauren realized she probably sounded like an idiot, but the woman took the chair across from her all the same.

"Rumor has it that several Light Fae were attacked all over the city and it was their miracle worker doctor that helped keep things calm when it was needed the most." The Dark Fae she had been threatening for information about some vase worth more than her car might not have been that specific about Lauren's involvement, but walking into the compound it seemed clear that was exactly what happened.

Lauren offered the Fae a small smile at the woman's exaggeration. "28 Fae injured to the extent of receiving medical care. There were three official fatalities, with a fourth being indeterminate until I can do an autopsy tomorrow morning." Lauren felt the weight of the deaths crush whatever joy she held from Bo's presence. Four Fae killed by humans in a span of mere hours. Yes similar incidents had happened in the past, but that was centuries ago when humans simply reacted out of fear. Even then the attacks were clumsy and they killed far more of each other than they ever did Fae.

"I don't understand, why would the Morrigan do this now?" Sure the Light was without an Ash, but getting most Fae to fight just one battle to save the world wasn't going to happen and on the whole they seemed more inclined to settle matters with a drinking contest instead of a war.

"This wasn't the Morrigan. They were attacked by humans." Though if the Dark Fae leader had manipulated the humans into carrying out the attack that would change things completely and not necessarily for the better.

"Humans put 28 Fae in the hospital? But isn't human on Fae violence sort of suicide for the human?" Naturally Bo posed the question to the human doctor instead of waiting to ask Trick and immediately regretted it. "Sorry, I didn't mean humans aren't capable of beating a Fae. I personally find some humans to be even more clever and sexy than any Fae." Someone really should stop her from talking around Lauren.

"Bo, it's okay. As a doctor I'm trained to analyze the statistical data on violent encounters in an area to determine the most likely manner of attack along with any variables that could be attributed to the damage inflicted during the attack, such as weapons or time of day." Lauren knew the odds and in theory there was no reason for so many Fae to have been injured. Though she had no theory as to why Bo was smiling at her as if the rant had been some form of erotic poetry or her own fervent reaction to it.

"So if all of that meant human versus Fae is bad for the human why didn't the attackers figure that out immediately? Dragging an angry Giant out of a car when he's dragging half the car with him seems a bit hard to overlook."

"I don't understand that myself. According to those coherent enough to remember the incidents they all seemed to have almost no warning before the attacks or the humans' complete disregard for clear evidence that their victims weren't human." Lauren had put her hands on the desk, intending to use them as a pillow for a five minute nap, when Bo picked them instead.

Bo placed a kiss on Lauren's hands, lingering against the soft skin as she spoke. "You look exhausted. Why don't we go somewhere private where you can sleep for a few hours?"

"I know you want to help Bo, but I'm behind on my report to the Elders as it is." Lauren could feel her entire body wanting to lean forward into the soothing sensation. It was undeniable that sleeping next to the succubus would be restful, but she had already ordered most of the staff to go home and if something went wrong she needed to be close by.

"You need to sleep Lauren and I'm not letting go." Bo interlocked their fingers and squeezed lightly to make sure Lauren understood she wasn't exaggerating.

"Bo." It was extremely thoughtful that the succubus was that concerned for her, but it didn't change that she had a responsibility to her patients.

"If you don't leave with me I'm just going to sit here the whole time in this awful chair and you still won't get any work done."

"Really? Isn't that a bit childish Bo?" Even with the admonishment Lauren couldn't help but smile and roll eyes at the behavior.

"What I had in mind was far from childish." The comment definitely sparked the doctor's interest and Bo leaned forward slightly to offer a demonstration of one of the ways she could ensure Lauren wouldn't be able to focus.

After several embarrassing seconds of not being able to move her head, or close her mouth, Lauren found her only defense was to close her eyes. "That's cheating." Doing her best to ignore images of what her desk could be used for if it was cleared of her paperwork she finally settled on a compromise. "Three hours, at my apartment, and I keep my cell on."

"No cell phone."

"Bo, I can't just turn off the phone and ignore an emergency."

Bo thought about it for a second and added an amendment to the deal. "Okay, but we have breakfast out at the nearest diner before you come back in and I'm paying."

Her office next to a room full of injured Fae was definitely not the place to show how grateful she was to the succubus. Instead she used Bo's early action as inspiration by placing a kiss on each of the woman's incredible fingers before releasing her hands and tidying up her desk, which regrettably would likely never be cleared enough for any of the activities that had crossed her mind.

Bo smiled at Lauren's little OCD moments and retrieved the woman's actual coat and made sure her car keys were handy before heading out with Lauren close behind her. Lauren's apartment wasn't far, but Bo was already concerned the woman might pass out and the short walk was an even shorter drive.

With the distraction of a long list of ways her imagination was going through on how Bo would get out of her ridiculously tight jeans and some better use of their time than simply lying next to the succubus Lauren almost missed the presence of two other Light Fae arrivals. Actually if it hadn't been for the sudden spike in activity around them Lauren knew that she would have walked right pass them. Fortunately at least the succubus hadn't been touching her directly as they left and it allowed her allowed some clarity as to what was just about to happen.

Bo felt the sudden break in Laruen's eyes from her hips before the woman's energy shifted almost completely away from her. It wasn't until she spotted a completely unwelcomed sight that she guessed what had changed. "I don't suppose you two are here delivering flowers and candy?"

"No, we just came to escort the doc so she could give an update to the Elders. These pinstripes are not meant for hospital visits." Hale had his hands on the suit in a gesture of confidence, but that quickly changed when he noticed the death glare from the succubus didn't stop.

Bo didn't like the siren much at the moment, but it was the shifter next to him that was bothering her though. According to some of the nurses his presence around the lab and clinic in the last few weeks was far too common given Dyson never let doctors within a few feet of him, even when he needed help. Added to the fact the wolf seemed to make it a point to avoid her when they weren't working and his sudden timing just seemed too perfect. "I'm sure that Lauren is more than capable of finding her own way back to the council chambers. Last time I checked it wasn't that a large building and there were plenty of assholes to ask direction from if she got lost."

Lauren did her best not to show any signs that the conversation interested her, but the façade almost slipped after hearing the unaligned Fae defend her. Unfortunately Bo didn't understand what the attack would truly mean. "Dyson, you're early. The Elders said I would have the night to work on the report and they would convene in the morning."

"They changed their mind."

"Did they now? Was that decided by flipping a coin or is it that the Light Fae simply can't keep their word?" Bo wasn't sure why, but Lauren had tensed the moment she saw the two men and she wasn't in a hurry to see Lauren leave with them in her current state.

"Bo." Lauren kept her tone soft as she pulled the succubus away from the others. Obviously the woman thought she was helping and the misguided effort was very sweet, but Fae politics and Bo didn't mix well. "If the Elders want the report early it is with good reason." And that reason was not the fault of the messengers. "The council would have had someone call my cell with the request if I wasn't here."

"I don't like this. You need sleep, not to stand around for the next couple hours answering questions when these Elders are perfectly capable of reading it tomorrow or coming to see what is going on with their own eyes if they want more details."

"I'll be fine Bo. Most of the Elders are in safe houses right now, and it is best if I inform them of what is going on before the city begins to panic." Lauren offered a small smile to Bo before moving ahead of the Light Fae duo, choosing to ignore Dyson's childish huffing as if the delay had caused some insult to his honor, even then she could feel Bo watching her until they entered a restricted area where the succubus couldn't follow.

* * *

**Author's Note: First of all, thank you for reading the story - hoped you enjoyed it. I have actually been wanting to write a story for this pairing since Season 2 ended, but couldn't settle on a plot I liked until a couple days ago. Since then about 10,000 words have flooded my screen and this was the first part I could make any sense out of. I have no beta :( so any mistakes are entirely my fault.**


	2. Chapter 2

"That's enough gentleman." Though the tone was light, and came from a small woman on a video screen, Lauren still felt a need to make an effort at straightening her posture and hiding any suggestions of fatigue that might have begun to show. At just under two hours in length, the meeting was shaping up as one of the longest she had attended with the light elders present, and it was dragging on an already long day.

"I did not ask Doctor Lewis to attend this meeting so she could listen to the same debate everyone else in the compound is having. Unless the Doctor has found any information to support these accusations we have no reason to waste time deciding how to handle those that aren't involved. Doctor Lewis?'

Lauren found herself genuinely surprised at a council member challenging other Elders over a perceived misuse of her time. Elder Kauri was kinder than many Fae, but showing her such consideration in such an overt way was very foolish, politically speaking.

"At this time the lab has not found enough information to support any Fae involvement in the riot or consequential attacks. All of the Fae that came into the compound suffered injuries commonly associated with physical trauma and any deviations from that pattern relates to positive efforts by other Fae. Though, until I examine the humans there is no way to completely rule out Fae involvement."

"Humans could not have done this on their own! The Morrigan and her assassins are behind this in hopes of leaving the Light without leadership." Lauren didn't know which Elder it was, but the room quickly filled with the sounds of agreements and the occasional objection.

"This council will end this bickering or I will return to the compound and assume control of the situation directly." The sylph sternly admonished the bickering elders. She was not their Ash, but she would not tolerate their useless arguing either.

Again, Lauren felt the need to correct mistakes she hadn't actually made. Only this time the feeling slipped away and the sensation of a light breeze coming into the room took its place.

"Doctor Lewis I will not ask for proof you do not have, but what about your professional opinion on this matter? It's certainly unusual for humans to become so aggressive without cause and, no matter what the source is, we will need to correct the problem for the safety of all."

"I'm sorry Elder Kauri, but there is no way to know what caused it at this time. If there was something new introduced into the environment it could be weeks before the results are conclusive enough to determine if that was what actually triggered the reaction. We could be looking at an outbreak of an acute infection of viral encephalitis, but multiple viruses which can trigger the inflammation and none of them have ever been identified with causing aggression to become focused entirely on one specific group."

"Thank you Doctor Lewis. We'll need you back here earlier than we have a right to expect given the day you put in, but we need to get a more definitive answer about what brought on this aggression by the humans. I'll be sure security has the deceased humans transferred to the lab. Their autopsies are a top priority. Please get some rest in the meantime."

Rest was definitely a requirement as Lauren could have sworn the Elder gave her a brief smile before she turned her attention back to other council members who were clearly upset over a humans getting placed above the one remaining Fae on the schedule of autopsies.

The compound was largely empty as Lauren moved through it. Most of the injured were resting well enough and after a brief review of a few charts, she noted nothing that required her immediate attention. Some would need further help to heal from being assaulted by several attackers at the same time, but for most, their stay in the compound was a precaution that simply required patience.

Reaching the compound exit that was closest to the housing area, Lauren noticed a literal bright spot in an otherwise dark setting, Bo's car parked under a lamppost. She could see the succubus herself was leaning against the vehicle as she got closer.

Lauren knew she should tell the woman it was foolish and unnecessary to wait around for hours when they would only have two minutes in the car before she would make sure Bo went home to sleep. Instead Lauren smiled as Bo opened the door for her. As the meeting slipped behind her Lauren sank into the seat and closed her eyes, trusting that Bo understood that her preference would have been for a lively discussion of the day's events but one of her own human biological imperatives was to sleep.

"I don't know how you do it." The roads were clear, which wasn't unusual for the area at 2 am. This left Bo able to watch the doctor seated beside her instead of what was ahead of her car. The woman next to her was clearly exhausted if Lauren wasn't firmly explaining the many ways such action would be hazardous.

"Mmm?" It was probably the fatigue getting to her, but Lauren could swear Bo was staring at her again only this time while operating a vehicle without properly installed airbags.

"You put up with being looked down on by most of your patients, then you get called to spend two hours listening to assholes argue with each other and still have that look like you're looking forward to going back for more tomorrow. How do you do it?"

"After several years in medicine my brain has come to associate treating patients and the discovery of information through tests with the feeling of satisfaction and positive influx that comes from adrenaline." Lauren found the serious question amusing. More than anything else it was that the question came from the succubus who did everything from clearing the name of a falsely accused Dark Fae Kelpie to hunting the smelliest underfae around, even though she didn't have to work at all.

"Except those last few hours in there had nothing to do with any of that. They summoned you to a room and the messenger became your armed escort. Doesn't that bother you?" She knew Lauren had seemingly accepted the shitty treatment of humans by most Fae as simply the way the world worked, but Bo also knew Lauren was far too smart to actually believe that it was just how it had to stay.

Opening her eyes to address the worried succubus properly Lauren noticed that the car wasn't heading towards the compound's housing. "Bo, this isn't anywhere near my place."

"No it's not. Your place has a lab set up, a laptop networked into the computers in the compound and all sorts of books that would give you ideas for more work you could be doing instead of sleeping. If I dropped you off there it would be just as irresponsible as me leaving Kenzi at an arcade where they hand out bottles of vodka as prizes."

"If you had said something I would have grabbed my tablet before leaving the office." Lauren studied Bo in the last moment of their trip to the clubhouse, the succubus had locked her eyes on the road and had both hands on the wheel. "Bo?" The instant she said the woman's name the stoic look fell apart and the woman was literally grinning ear to ear as she put the car in park.

"What exactly would you need to use the tablet for while you're in bed?" It was a simple question, but Bo watched Lauren's energy light up and the doctor's eyes widen. The sudden spike reminded Bo just how eager the woman seemed the night before and given Lauren looked particularly adorable when blushing there was definitely a cold shower in her near future.

"You'd might be surprised," Ten minutes ago Lauren knew she would have struggled with the order of the periodic table, but the sudden possibilities on how the early hours of the day could be spent, had quickly fixed that. "Some of the works of fiction out there are perfectly suited for reading in bed."

The idea of Lauren's after hours reading material being what her adoptive mother would have called sinful wasn't helping her plan to get Lauren into bed. They both had too many clothes on. Doing her best not to stray towards images of Lauren's hand disappearing beneath a pair of shorts, Bo focused on the small arsenal of mood killers she kept around. Like creepy spiders, Lachlan making a pass at her, Trick's collection of Fae killed while in their shifted forms, Lauren's shirt coming off. Bo blinked at the last thought and sure enough the doctor wasn't as professional looking. It wasn't that the shirt was showing much, but given the circumstances Bo's eyes lingered on the skin that was suddenly revealed as her brain did its best to stay functional. Instead, though, her brain went right back to her mental voyeurism show.

"Read anything good lately?" Bo knew it would be better to change the topic, she and Lauren were good at that, but the thought of Lauren geeking out over some dirty stories was too good to pass up. It didn't help her any when Lauren leaned forward to touch her.

The gap between them lessened just enough that Lauren could easily reach out and feel the soft skin of the woman's arm beneath her fingers. It wasn't much, but it was still the first truly intimate, and uninterrupted, contact between them since the attack on the Garuda. "As your doctor I'm afraid I can't make any recommendations. The books have the risk of being overly stimulating, which for a succubus is very unhealthy unless there is a partner present to slowly bring the simulation to a climax and produce enough sexual energy for you to reach that state."

Medically speaking it wasn't such a good idea for a human to tease a succubus into a state of arousal, but Lauren intended to finish what she started even if she had to rent Kenzi a suite at the Hazelton Hotel.

"Lauren, you've had a long day, you shouldn't be exerting yourself." Bo knew she was losing a battle for restraint. Just the simple touches from Lauren were overwhelming the last thoughts of spiders and that was just Lauren brushing her fingers against her arm.

"Is that your medical opinion?" Her day had ended hours after it should have, with a major traumatic event dumping itself in her lap and the leaders of the Light Fae wanting her to fix it for them. By all reasoning the succubus's point made sense, but Lauren didn't feel exhausted and she wasn't beyond proving it.

"Making medical decisions for a patient without properly examining them first is very unprofessional Bo." Slowly Lauren popped each button free from the containing hole on her shirt with Bo's protest officially lost to history as she then took the woman's right hand and placed two fingers over her pulse. "Feel that?"

"Uh huh." Bo had no idea what the exam meant to tell her that Lauren's energy couldn't but any reason to touch the woman was one she happily accepted.

"If I was exhausted the pulse would be much slower as there wouldn't be a reason for my heart rate to increase and it would decline further when I laid down. Should you intend to make a proper diagnosis we'll have to find an unoccupied bed." Lauren however didn't wait for conformation as she took Bo's bottom lip between her own, drawing it between her teeth and pulling a moan from the succubus, before quickly taking advantage of the succubus's surprised reaction to push Bo further along.

If there was any further thought of resistance in Bo's mind Lauren couldn't tell as she pushed Bo's back against the car door. Much to her disappointment though, and despite the clear sounds of approval that followed her action, Bo's hands pushing back against her drew her attention away from the woman's lips strictly out of curiosity, needing to know why they were stopping. As she pulled back to stare into Bo's face, her own look of confusion was greeted with a small smile before the woman straightened up.

"We probably should go into the house." Moving away from Lauren when things were going so well in the car had been was like trying not to breathe after running a marathon, but she hoped it wouldn't end with a trip to the hospital. As soon as she had the car door open and Lauren was standing on solid ground Bo wasted no time in placing a chaste kiss on Lauren's lips, a simple gesture that let Lauren know she wasn't finished with the doctor. The second kissed that followed was simply confirmation that the first wasn't a fluke. After the third one there was no pulling away as she felt Lauren's hands holding her in place.

There was still the overwhelming need to find a bed, but Lauren felt it tempered with slowly slipping away from reality as she got lost in the feel of Bo's mouth and incredible form. Maybe there was something wrong with the universe for her to hold such a goddess against her, but as one of Bo's hands traveled upwards along her thigh Lauren found she didn't care.

She was more amazed, instead of disappointed, that again the woman who actually required sex to live was the one that managed to keep some connection to reality. Given the circumstances Lauren knew she wouldn't have objected if they ended up to utilizing the interior of the car instead of making it to the front door, which for the first time in years someone had actually locked. "Damn it Kenzi."

Digging for a seldom used, or thought about, key from her pockets Bo truly felt like the older sister that was going to strangle the annoying brat her parents insisted wasn't adopted. The idea that the locked door meaning the place was empty might have occurred to her as considerate if it wasn't for the woman behind her doing everything she could to distract her from the difficult doorknob.

"You've got the key upside down." As excited as she felt about Bo wanting, if not more like needing, to get her naked, it had been almost a month since they really had time alone and she wasn't going to waste a chance to feel Bo's skin against her lips.

"And you're not helping." The succubus in her craved control, but as the tip of Lauren's tongue drew a line from her shoulder to her ear, all while the woman was pressing her lithe form against her, she didn't feel like a succubus. With her earlier partners she always controlled everything from start to finish, even when she didn't always have control over if she woke up sharing a bed with a living person the next morning. When it came to Lauren she was simply able to enjoy the experience for what it was instead of some need to feed or heal. More importantly though Lauren definitely didn't seem tired as nimble fingers ran down her arms, effectively trapping her between the door and the doctor.

"The key needs to be upright before it goes into the lock." Gently taking the key from Bo and unlocking the door Lauren had to struggle not to laugh at the speed and force the succubus used push the barrier open. The amusement was lost though as Bo turned around the moment the door shut and the woman's shirt slowly disappeared. To her credit Lauren's eyes followed the magically vanishing clothing right up until she found Bo's eyes.

There was a sexy little smirk from the woman, but what held Lauren's focus was the uncertainty hidden beneath it. Pushing the hair that had fallen in front of those brown eyes Lauren could only offer a small smile of her own, timid compared to the grin that Bo gave in return, but as two hands guided her own downwards, Lauren was not one to back down from a challenge.

Working the tight leather down the woman's hips until the pants were off, Lauren lightly pushed the woman back until B's back hit the wall. Even with the succubus half-naked Lauren took her time to watch, and listen, to Bo's reactions as she teased her fingers around the lace covered warmth even as her own desire to truly feel the woman urged her to slip her hand inside. Still, she took her time, slowly rubbing outside the barrier, and just enough away from where the woman clearly needed her fingers to go.

Bo wasn't one to complain when things slowed things down, given she typically she decided the pace, but it had been too long on the succubus calendar since she put XXX on a date and the last month in particular had really gotten to her. So when the doctor's subtle teasing turned almost instantly into what she needed she was not quiet in her approval. Lauren hit every spot and Bo was simply along for the ride when everything stopped and not a the completely satisfying way.

Lauren smiled to herself that she had some resemblance of control over her body even as Bo's begged her to continue. She had never heard of someone taking so long after getting into a succubus's pants and, from the look on Bo's face, Lauren felt certain it was an experience Bo hadn't had before. It was that same look though that mere seconds later had Lauren capturing the parted lips of the woman in a heated mix of teeth and tongue. When strong hands pulled on her hips right as Bo thrust her own forward Lauren moaned. The incredible feel of Bo against her made it very clear the woman needed more and Lauren obliged, moving her free hand directly up Bo's spine.

"Lauren." It was the only intelligent thought Bo could remember and it stayed with her as the other woman moved away from to lips to a particularly sensitive spot on her collarbone. When her bra quickly joined her discarded top. and she received the full attention of Lauren's talented tongue against her breasts. a few words managed to form around it."God. Lauren. More"

Hearing her name from Bo's lips Lauren slipped her hand under the barrier and truly between Bo's legs. As Bo's breath hitched, Lauren moved her tongue from the woman's neck up to the shell of her ear in one, slow, motion, just as her fingers slipped inside the goddess. The feel of Bo's hot breath against her neck caused her to falter slightly as her own arousal reminded her that delayed gratification came at a price, but Lauren always persevered in the face of a difficult challange.

Connecting their lips once more Lauren felt Bo's hands jump to her shoulders as she made every effort to satisfy the succubus. If the club house was suddenly found itself attacked by dragons, or more likely one them got an emergency phone call, at least she got the woman she loved alone for a few moments, felt Bo's lips against her own as a final shudder tore through her and watched as those brown eyes flashed an incredible blue.

When the world finally pieced itself back together, Bo moved her hands down Lauren's back from the shoulders that she hadn't even realized were supporting her. She didn't feed from Lauren, but that the other woman didn't fear her doing so was an incredible sensation in and of itself. Wanting to show the doctor her appreciation Bo's hands pulled at the white tank up covering Lauren until it was over the woman's head and completely out of sight. It was amazing what one touch, one look, one word, could do to her when it came to Lauren and having it all given so freely made her all the more eager.

Lauren was lost in the haze of feeling the other woman coming so completely undone, her fingers still moving to bring Bo over the edge again, and it wasn't until Bo's insistent hands were moving up from her waist, pulling her tank top with them, that she reluctantly stepped back. When the top joined the other lost clothing in some other realm Lauren found her eyes couldn't resist taking in a Bo flushed and completely naked Bo. It was the first time in far too long that she had gotten to see the woman and when Bo started pulling her towards the staircase, Lauren had only ever noted stairs as an obstacle in reaching the bedroom. As she actually watched Bo go up the stairs towards the bedroom, only stopping at the landing, Lauren followed with a new appreciation for the multistory design.

There would be actually dead people waiting for her tomorrow. In the days after that she would need to stop a rampant and sudden outbreak, stemming from an unknown source, from spreading. During both the Council would make every effort to blame the Dark Fae until they had absolute proof contradicting their claims. Yet, as Bo cupped her face and gently laid a kiss on her lips, Lauren focused entirely on what awaited in the next few hours of her life.

* * *

Chapter 2 done. Hopefully it was an enjoyable chapter to read as there will be several more still to follow. Thank you to all those that have offered their support of keeping this story going - be it through reviews, favorites, alerts or simply reading it. With the patience and care of my newly gained beta I'm hoping all future chapters will remain in this more legible form instead of simply an inane rambling of a note. Any helpful suggestions, questions, and of course reviews, are always welcomed. :)


	3. Chapter 3

As another piece of equipment in her quarters started making noise Lauren made a few adjustments before going back to studying the latest slide she had placed under the microscope. Despite the best effort of her staff, the preliminary examination of the deceased humans, and last Fae, from the attacks had gone beyond the normal work hours and left Lauren working from the lab in her condo.

The compound had better equipment, but at the first sign of trouble staying upright in a chair, she transferred what she could to her personal lab and took a break long enough to eat an order of take out. Spending most of the day examining the organs of a Fae that did not seem to have died from assault, and analyzing the results from the samples afterwards, required a frustrating amount of active participation that had not gotten her any closer to an answer.

It wasn't until the sudden sound of something ringing that Lauren remembered she had asked Bo to check in on the chance she needed help in gathering data from the locations of the attacks. Mostly it was just something to say as she left the clubhouse and a rather sullen looking Bo at 6:43 in the morning. Knowing the woman though, there were probably several texts and a couple of messages making sure she wasn't in need of a rescue seeing as she had left her cell in the office all day ignoring it's ringing.

Answering the phone Lauren didn't even get a chance to greet the succubus, who she had thoroughly enjoyed spending a few hours alone with, before the woman's voice echoed through the small speaker.

"It's not desperate Kenzi, she asked me to call!" Bo loved her best friend, she really did. But, after listening to the girl's running commentary about her relationship with Lauren, which started simply because she checked her phone for missed messages every few minutes, had left her considering leaving the pint-sized human at the Dál and letting Kenzi bother Hale for a ride home.

"Yes I did, though I was thinking more around lunch. At this hour I'm not sure you would be able to properly see the area or find any of the samples I needed." Lauren felt a genuine smile surface at the thought of Bo trying to find and retrieve samples of the various fluids that could be produced by a deceased Fae. Somehow the leather outfit just seemed more suited for pummeling Fae than identifying the type of Fae from the blood splatter left on the ground.

"Hi Lauren." After making a shooing motion to Kenzi, who had already been wiggling her eyebrows and performing a mime act that had some of the Fae entering the Dál looking rather confused, Bo moved away from the front entrance. "You're not at the compound still are you?"

"No, I've been home for a few hours. Sorry I didn't call, I should have let you know that I didn't need those samples." Lauren knew that she had simply forgotten to call Bo after the autopsy got underway. Given how important the woman was to her she immediately felt upset by her carelessness. "Well, if you really want to make it to me I'm at the Dál with Kenzi. We'll probably be here for a couple of hours as Kenzi is certain she can prove Trick's liquor supply is magically replaced as soon as a bottle is empty. After that I'll be home with a passed out Russian and nothing to do. You could bring some files over and I've still got that bottle Kenzi hasn't found yet or I could grab some wine before I leave." Waiting for a response Bo felt like that teenage girl who would twirl the phone cord in her fingers while waiting for the cute boy to say something. The fact it was over a decade later, talking to a woman who could turn heads in a lab coat, and that it was thoughts of Lauren in nothing except a lab coat distracting her, made no real difference.

"That sounds great Bo, really." Looking around the room Lauren had to admit it didn't have the same charm as the club house.

"But you're working on something that's really important and requires some place with walls." Bo slumped down with her back against the brick wall as she accepted she wouldn't see the woman. It was a bit weird given it had been less than 24 hours since she saw her, but over the last few weeks she had gotten use to Lauren being around and she didn't want to lose that.

"Mostly it's just some tests and a report about these preliminary findings, but the Council has concerns about possible Dark Fae involvement and I'm hoping to rule that out before the idea permeates among the rest of the Light Fae." Lauren had to admit that she felt just a hint of excitement at Bo's disappointed and that made the next part of their conversation all the more difficult. "Actually, Bo I won't be able to leave the compound unless it's on an official matter."

"Why? What's going on?" Bo felt instantly panicked, getting to her feet and heading towards her car. Without Lauren most the Light Fae would be dead. Bo didn't trust that to stop them if they decided to blame Lauren for getting their asses handed to them by humans.

"Bo, it's not like before. The Elders are limiting travel outside the compound for all Light Fae as if there is another incident. Most of the council is being kept away from the compound under the same reasoning." Given her history with imprisonment, the security measure understandably sounded negative. It was definitely an inconvenience, but the decision made sense and given that most of her staff had already complained of their suddenly rigid schedules, she didn't feel like anyone was trying to punish humans. That she and other wards of the Light Fae were regulated to on-site housing was simply because that was where their residences were.

"What's going to happen when they change their minds Lauren?" Bo walked past the car as Lauren's level headed behavior started causing doubt that her plan to drive to the compound, through the security gate, possibly over some Fae, and rescue the woman, was necessary.

"Bo, I'll be fine. The council doesn't believe the attacks were random, or that the humans acted on their own. They don't have any interest in directing blame away from the Dark and I'm not sure they'll even listen to my report if it shows they're wrong." Lauren could hear Bo pacing and felt the weight of ruining Bo's night landed squarely on her shoulders as the woman remained silent.

Even if Lauren wasn't being mistreated Bo wasn't happy about being kept away from Lauren by a group of paranoid old Fae. "If the Elders really are just trying to keep things calm around the compound they'll want to know of anything that could help them. What better source of information is there than an unaligned succubus who can talk to Dark Fae without starting a war?"

"Well, there are these Underfae that can burrow inside a person and feed on their hippocampus. They can survive for months on the new memories being created by the host and rituals even exist where those memories are absorbed by another. Of course the extraction method often kills the host, and that would likely result in executions or a war." It was only after she finished that Lauren realized she hadn't considered Underfae involvement at all in her tests and forgot she was actually in the middle of a conversation. "Bo, I could kiss you."

"I'm going to hold you to that doctor." Bo wasn't sure what Lauren was doing, but suddenly the doctor sounded busy and that meant she would have to wait for the promised reward.

Lauren smiled at Bo's response and started adjusting the test parameters to keep her thoughts from straying to the likely scenarios of where that kiss would lead. "I'll get you that clearance Bo. We are going to need your help and politically the Elders can't refuse the Champion." Lauren knew how much Bo loathed the title, but it carried importance in the political world that would outweigh concerns over the succubus not being Light Fae. "They'll stall for a few days Bo, but that's just politics."

"A few days? Lauren you shouldn't have to ask and wait for anything. You stopped the Garuda from snacking on an entire city of Faebefore destroying the world, which should entitle you to a pony and not being locked up in the lab because the Light Fae Council is suddenly scared of humans." She was only alive because of the brilliant doctor and yet neither one of them could see the other when it suited them.

"Bo, Fae politics is very complicated, especially without an Ash. I wouldn't be good company for the next few days anyway." Even if there were no further attacks Lauren knew there would be weeks, if not months, of work ahead of her all stemming from the one incident, the more immediate days were especially important.

"I'll see what Kenzi and I can find out from the Dark Fae. Remember that's breakfast and a kiss you owe me." Bo finally felt the last of her anger slip away at the thought of kissing Lauren after she geeked out about why breakfast was the most important meal of the day, or the chemical balance of syrup, without needing to worry about the stupid Fae. If she could make the woman's life easier by taking her frustration out on some creepy Dark Fae than all the better to get through the next 72 hours.

"Just be careful Bo." Lauren had found nothing suggesting Dark Fae involvement, but if she was wrong that mistake could end up putting the succubus into a very dangerous situation.

"I'll be fine Lauren, but if you need anything just call me." Finding herself at the front entrance of the Dál, Bo made one last effort to test the doctor's selflessness. "The compound's not that far from the Dál, I could bring that bottle of wine to you."

Lauren smiled and shook her head, the woman was incorrigible. "Good night Bo."

Hearing the call end, Bo stared at her phone for another minute before putting it away and walking into the Dál. The conversation didn't exactly go how she wanted it to, but she felt more relaxed now than she did when wandering the city looking for a stolen vase that, not surprisingly, no one had ever heard of. Kenzi had graciously given her the crack shack until Lauren left for work. The act of kindness in the girl staying with a cousin apparently meant she now owed her a night out at the Dál and a new pair of boots.

Bo spotted the other very important woman in her life already seated in her usual stool at the bar with a bottle of vodka in front of her. Two other people who held a place in her heart were also accounted for, but clearly too lost in some conversation about the centuries before indoor plumbing, to have paid much attention to her arrival. Oddly enough, Kenzi seemed to have an interest in the story as well, which probably had something to do with the half empty bottle of vodka in front of the girl.

"Clearly no one told the two old guys that it's impolite to let a lady drink herself into intoxication." Bo smiled at all three of them before being overwhelmed by her enthusiastic friend.

"Bo Bo, the Boobylicious Slayer of Stinky Big Bird, its drinking time!" Kenzi had endured over 30 seconds of old-timey stories before she couldn't wait any longer for Bo to finally show up and when Trick turned to keep talking with Dyson she decided to just help herself to the bottle.

Meeting the lax attitude of the two Fae with a questioning glance Bo only got a shrug from Dyson and a sympathetic smile from her grandfather. Two gestures that meant she wasn't going to get any help. "And I think that's a sign that I'm officially late to the party. Let's get the mighty sidekick home before the evil hangover kicks in."

"Not yet, wolfy was just getting to the good part." Somewhere along her goal of starting at 100 and counting backwards in Russian for each shot she took Kenzi had picked up on the tales of old battles and wanted to hear more about what Dyson did when there were no robot-hookers to kill.

"Just go home Kenzi, the stories will still be here when your sober." As Trick took the bottle and shot glass away he watched Bo help the tiny human to her feet.

"Kenz, I think you were just cut off for the night. Now let's leave these nice men to their boredom." Physically lifting up Kenzi off the stool by the waist and guiding her away from the bar was easy enough. Typically Kenzi stopped protesting once they started moving, but as Bo started pulling, Kenzi actually pushed away.

"But I want to hear how all this ended last time." Giving her best friend the best drunken puppy eyes she could manage, Kenzi also tried to stay standing under her own power at the same time.

"What do you mean how it ended last time?" Bo looked at the two men for an answer, but neither one met her eyes. Dyson's stories never had any modern importance and on the occasion one of her grandfather's did it was never good.

"Wolfy and Trickster were all up in that shit when some humans went crazy and they were just getting to the good part."

Keeping a hold of her swaying best friend Bo waited for a reply only to see a silent exchange between the shifter and her grandfather, something that she saw far too often in the past to take as a good sign. "What is the drunk Russian talking about?"

"It's nothing Bo, a misunderstanding of history and too much alcohol for all three of us." Trick moved the aged whiskey from between him and Dyson back to its place on the shelf, hoping that would be the end of it why preparing to handle its continuation. Bo's inquisitive nature came from his wife's side of the family and just as with her grandmother there were things that he kept out of the light of day from Bo. He had shared too much about the world with his only daughter and that would not be a mistake he repeated with his only grandchild.

"Kenzi, I need to you tell me what Dyson said and then we'll see if wolfy will share the rest of the story." Seeing the happy smile on the girl's face Bo offered a smile of her own thankful for small favors that Kenzi wouldn't remember much in the morning. Before the girl could start with what she heard though, it was Dyson that chimed in.

"Bo, I didn't think she was sober enough to actually be paying attention." Ever since the Garuda there was something about Bo's reaction to the slightest irritation that Dyson did his best to avoid provoking. Honor required he explain his actions though and he could only hope Bo stayed calm.

"Well clearly you were wrong. Now, what was it that reminded you two of a time when humans attacked Fae?" There was no response until she moved to leave with Kenzi in hand, and made the two Fae decide how they wanted her visit to end.

"There was a war Bo. About 350 years ago in northern Europe. A few Fae had gotten careless and exposed too much to the humans in the area. Some of the humans started asking questions, but instead of bringing an end to it with deflection the Fae revealed themselves completely to them. They argued that the humans were capable of living among Fae as equals, that interference with their rulers was unnecessary." Trick, like Dyson, had never assumed Kenzi would actually take an interest in their conversation. It wasn't even a topic most Fae had an interest in.

"That's it? Some Fae refused to follow these stupid rules so the Light and Dark started a war?" Bo had heard enough similar stories from Lauren and Trick to know she wasn't the longest reigning neutral Fae in history, but that, in comparison to most Fae lifespans, those that didn't choose a side, or refused to blindly support the one they did, died young.

"Like it or not, their actions made them an enemy to all Fae Bo. Those rules keep the humans from doing anything foolish and the traitors should have honored their oaths when the Elders asked it of them." Dyson turned more to face the succubus. The woman was naïve, but not stupid and he disagreed with the Blood King on hiding the truth from her.

"Yeah, wouldn't want the Fae to do something radical like being nice to the lowly humans for once. Guess you wouldn't want to risk finding the buffet table actually feels something." It was an old argument, but Bo wasn't going to give up on it simply because the Fae had a long history of being assholes.

"I'm sure they felt a lot when murdering those Fae yesterday." There were four Fae dead at the hands of humans and Dyson wasn't going to let that go simply because the succubus had a soft spot for them.

Bo wanted to walk away, to hit Dyson with a bar stool and get back to the point. Fortunately for the shifter she wanted an explanation more than she wanted to hurt him, though not by much. "Upset that you missed a chance to show off your wolf without getting whacked on the nose with a newspaper?" There was a low growl from Dyson at Bo's reaction. She had no regret over her choice of words, especially as she heard Kenzi fail in her effort not to laugh.

"Bo, the traditions might seem foolish to you, but Dyson and I have spent our lives trying to keep the Fae and humans safe from each other." Trick felt relieved when he saw Bo take a step back and her hand moved away from the dagger she had reached for after Dyson's irritation became clear.

"Understand that the Light took every effort to reduce the loss of life. With the clans in agreement, a more direct route allowed the Light to move against their army without needlessly risking conflict with the rest of the population. The clans offered terms of surrender first, but the Fae refused and the humans in their army were loyal. The war was short and the Fae responsible for their mistakes captured at the end of it. Most of the humans came to believe the stories about the Fae were simply lies, which was enough for the clans to recognize that with the army defeated, the threat of exposure was minimal."

"Oh I'm sure the clans were very happy after beating down the big bad humans with their deadly pitchforks." Bo didn't find anything good about the war being a short one or that the two men had started discussing it after yesterday's attacks.

Dyson laughed at the comment. The idea of humans using pitchforks and torches as weapons seemed to come up in every movie the humans did about evil Fae coming to eat them, but when Bo only seemed to become more irritated, it reminded him that she probably sided with humans when watching those films.

Ignoring Dyson's strange outburst Bo kept her eyes on her grandfather. "What happened to the humans that actually knew about the Fae though? There must have been people who supported them and figured they hadn't been lied to."

"Bo, you need to understand none of the clans were willing to risk being exposed to the other humans. There was a resistance gathering strength that believed if they could find the exiled Fae they would be able to defeat the Light and Dark by having those Fae prove to other humans that they existed. Part of the truce between the Light and the Dark was that any humans identified as a threat would be regarded as unclaimed." Trick did not want to delve further into the history of that time, not when it would only upset Bo, but his granddaughter seemed determined to burden herself with the past.

"And what the hell does that mean?" Bo didn't want to hear some cryptic Fae bullshit and if Dyson wasn't being such an ass about it she might have thanked him for at least being honest with her.

"It means any Fae could kill any of the humans without the risk of offending the clan they served." Almost as soon as the words echoed in the bar Dyson felt something pull on his energy, familiar yet more aggressive, but before he could be certain it was Bo doing it the succubus slammed her palm on the bar and the sound that came from it startled everyone in the Dál.

"Of course it does. Well, we wouldn't want the clans getting offended that a human drank for free in a Fae bar." Without much thought to any protest the woman might have had, Bo grabbed Kenzi's hand and heading for the exit, leaving some money, and a deep crack, on the wooden surface. She paid no attention to the few lingering Fae that had lost interest in anything except the argument and their departure.

"Asshole." Putting the woman gently in the front seat Bo made sure that her anger didn't affect how she treated her best friend. The door on her side of the car door though was not spared from her wrath as she slammed it shut. "I cannot believe that the world has gone crazy and all Dyson can do is talk about murdering humans."

"Sorry Bo Bo, it sounded cooler when there was a free bottle of vodka involved." Kenzi was the first to throw down if some person, with or without super powers, started causing trouble, but seeing her strange group of family fight each other wasn't a situation where she felt like breaking out the brass knuckles.

"It's not your fault Kenzi, Dyson is completely to blame for being a dick. I don't like that he's been taking shifts guarding the compound these last couple of weeks either." Bo gripped the steering wheel and ignored a stop sign as she put further distance between them and the Dál.

"Dyson has been playing security guard? The same Dyson that requires we all sit at the bar because those literally giant Fae sized booths don't have enough room?" She felt buzzed, but even after that much vodka Kenzi had trouble picturing the wolfman sitting at a desk and playing solitaire on the computer.

"Yeah, one of the nurses that works with Lauren said he has been in the lab six or seven times checking up on things. She even overheard him suggesting that they post guards near the living quarters." Bo thought of the last time she saw Dyson and Lauren together, he had been on the woman's heels to make sure she filled in the council when they were too scared to come out of hiding. That Dyson might have been the one that pushed for the humans at the compound to be locked up when they weren't working had Bo considering turning the car around and pulling that bar stool out from under him, before using it to beat some sense into his thick head.

Kenzi knew her friend was thinking Bo smash puny wolf and she really didn't want to see how that match up would turn out, though if it came down to it she would put money on her bestie. "Bo Bo, I'm sure hot pants would have told you if there was a problem. She's got it so bad for some soccubust that she would tell you the atomic weight of all our furniture." Kenzi yawned and then put her head against the window as it became too heavy for her neck to support. "Bo?"

"Yes Kenzi?"

"If Lauren starts telling you the atomic weight of our furniture you have my permission to succubus her on the couch to get her to stop. Just thinking about it has made my head hurt."

Despite everything she had heard at the Dál Bo couldn't help but laugh at her roommate's distress. "I'm sure the headache has nothing to do with all that vodka."

"Damn straight, tis like water."

Despite the proclamation Bo noticed the girl was quickly falling into a vodka induced sleep, complete with light snoring. They weren't far from the compound and after how her day went Bo really wanted to see Lauren. Knowing how the visit would most likely go, Bo kept on the route towards the crack shack. There would not be enough boots in the world to get Kenzi to forgive her for leaving her in a car for a few hours just because she wanted to thoroughly distract Lauren from whatever work the woman was doing.

* * *

**Another chapter in the tales of unbridled Doccubus attraction, a drunken Russian goth and two cranky old men. If you enjoyed it a review is always appreciated and don't forget to favorite and follow. **


	4. Chapter 4

Lauren waited in her office, reading the reports that had piled up and not checking how long she had until the meeting with Elder Kuari. The pretense lasted right up until the footsteps approaching her office kept going by instead of coming in. Placing her cell phone on the desk Lauren immediately brought up the current time. Bo knew the meeting had to start as scheduled, but the succubus hadn't shown or responded to her messages.

What Elder Kuari thought Bo could add to her reports Lauren wasn't sure, but she respected the efficiency in handling several matters at once, even if it meant delaying Bo's visit by an extra day. Telling Bo her presence at the compound would have to wait a day went better than she had hoped. There had been some petty remarks about the Elders and replacing them with cardboard cut outs, but the rest of the phone call had been a few stories about Bo's investigation and the woman making sure she was okay.

Bo checking up on her had become part of her routine in just a few days, settling in perfectly with lab results and long hours as if it had always been there and always would be. Though it wasn't the same as seeing her girlfriend, the simple lifeline to the world outside the lab and her apartment, knowing that Bo worried enough to call, and send detailed text messages about her plans for their reunion, helped distract from the overwhelming lack of results her tests were turning up.

Those distractions had also kept her from the research into Bo's genetic history. That Bo still struggled with being a Succubus, and with her inheritance of Blood Sage traits, Lauren did not want to add needless stress. Discovering Bo's lineage could explain traits that Lauren knew weren't associated with Succubi, or Sages, and reveal family the woman wouldn't otherwise be able to find. It could also connect Bo to some Fae that made the Dark and Light Elders weary enough that both sides preferred having the leadership of the Dark resides with the Morrigan.

As if on cue though a rather ragged looking Bo walked into her office and collapsed into the chair across from her. Simply seeing the woman made Lauren smile, but Bo's exhausted appearance kept her concerns closer to the surface than she wanted. "I take it the investigation is going well?" Lauren felt a touch of pity for the succubus being made to become so politically involved, though the pout on Bo's face was rather adorable.

"Remind me to never complain about the lack of chatty Fae ever again." Bo had felt a surge of nerves and adrenaline as her steps grew closer to Lauren's office, she was early and didn't know if Lauren would be there or in the lab or treating patients or if she could avoid causing problems with a very public display of affection.

"Well, I was going to introduce you to an Under Fae that expresses all of their thoughts, emotions and actions verbally." Smiling at the tired warrior Lauren set down her coffee, intending to get some for Bo, when the woman simply turned the mug to the other side and drained what had been in her cup instead. The idea of Bo being so comfortable with her left the coffee forgotten about as she place her hand on Bo's arm and enjoyed being able to touch the succubus for the first time in days.

"Ha ha. I think you missed your calling doctor." Rubbing her temple in some hope of stopping the throbbing inside her skull didn't seem to help, but Lauren's energy was already soothing the ache. "One moment I'm talking to some giant that is insisting the importance of maintaining neutral locations would be the bridge to peace for the Dark and the Light. That got interrupted by someone named Smith who had some idea for a Champion themed restaurant." Bo sank deeper into the chair, repeatedly muttering the words Garuda slider, choosing to take the temporary relief from the memories in the physical pain of sitting in the uncomfortable chair. "I thought I found something when a witch offered me a cursed chandelier that slowly drains the life of any guest invited into the home if I killed some guy for her, but apparently the idea of artifacts that might turn several blocks of humans into Fae seeking missiles just sounded absurd to her."

Lauren pushed some fall strains of hair away from her girlfriend's face, checking for a surface temperature and watching Bo's eye movement. "I can run some tests if you want, but most likely the headache and distorted memories stem from coming in direct contact with the energy of so many Fae in such a short time period. Places like the Dal need regular cleansing in order for visiting Fae to maintain their balance." Focusing on that train of thought Lauren shifted her attention to a file on her desk. "Though some Fae can handle it better than others and will even seek out almost any event with a diverse crowd.

Not finding the necessary details to a sudden theory Lauren put the file back in place before searching through others on her desk. Bo's presence hadn't been lost on her entirely, simply put on hold during the frantic search. "A lot of them find work that gives them a constant supply of weddings, concerts, children's birthday parties or even funerals. If that's not possible, or if they prefer solitude when feeding, there have been reports of uninvited guests being arrested when caught by other attendees or security."

"There are Fae funeral crashers?" It was bad enough that most Fae lacked any of the minimal subtlety of humans when it came to sexual attraction, but the idea of someone sneaking into and feeding on the energy at a stranger's funeral had a creepfactor of ten.

Lauren moved reluctantly away from Bo's side to a filling cabinet in the corner of the room. "Actually there are several Fae that can feed off the energy of a sizeable crowd indirectly for hours, completely unnoticed by anyone else." Almost six years had passed since Dr Everett handed her the file and asked for her professional opinion on the patient. After that it simply went into the archives. At the time it seemed like nothing.

Lauren set the file on the desk and let Bo see the information that only a handful of people had ever bothered with learning. Feeling the reassurance of Bo squeezing her hand as she picked up the file, Lauren waited for the woman to read some of the information before continuing on. "The patient was Dark Fae, which obviously complicated matters. We treated him for minor lacerations and security moved to a holding cell a few minutes after his arrival. Apparently he had managed to destroy most of a large wedding reception venue and caused injuries to three Light Faeguests."

"Sounds like a jealous ex-boyfriend." Bo knew the type as half their cases seemed to involve a client's ex.

"I doubt the police asked about his love life when they arrested him." Lauren looked over the details, refreshing memories of going over them years ago in the same office with the file pulled from the same cabinet, yet from a time most Fae didn't trust with a hypodermic needle, let alone the care of the entire territory. That the patient was a Dark Fae facing criminal charges didn't seem worth a second look really. The police were already satisfied with their version and most at the compound had no time to worry about inconsistencies when an influenza strain kept turning up sick Fae who wouldn't follow the simple advice of staying home. She lost her first official Fae patient during the outbreak yet she couldn't remember the old Fae's name or even his genus now.

Bo had watched as Lauren's eyes read over the paperwork rather than reading any of it herself, but slowly Lauren seemed to lose herself in a world that from her reaction wasn't a good place to visit. "Lauren?"

Snapping out of the past, Lauren focused on Bo. "Sorry. The arresting officers suggested the tension between the clans caused it all as the groom represented a rarity by choosing to join the Light Fae when most of his family had aligned with the Dark, but Doctor Everett never felt comfortable listing that theory as the official cause. If we had the time I'm sure she would have asked for a full investigation as suddenly erratic behavior isn't normal in anyone, even Dark Fae who feed off causing misery."

"And Doctor Everett is…" Bo had tried to learn the names of everyone Lauren worked with on a regular basis, but Everett wasn't one she had even heard of.

"Doctor Everett was my predecessor." Lauren smiled at the hand written notes where Amelia had openly called into question the arresting officer's sense of judgment and ability to keep his nose out of matters that went above his pay grade. "I worked under her for three years before she requested a transfer. I'm not sure I would have survived those early years with the Fae if it hadn't been for her. A human getting access to the clinic and lab had almost no precedence, but being told to work alongside one as an equal, to eventually accept me as a superior if I

earned advancement, caused several resignations before my first day and a few more by the end of the first week."

"Sounds like you really admired her." Bo tried to keep the sudden crushing sensation from getting into her voice, but listening to Lauren talk about some other woman with such reverence and affection wasn't an easy thing to hear.

"When the Ash announced a human would be joining the medical team it wasn't just doctors and nurses that left. Entire clans uprooted to avoid having their care contaminated by human involvement." Lauren wasn't one for regrets, but that first day, being in a room full of screaming, and literally screeching in the case of two of them, Fae demanding she be destroyed had left her with the feeling for a few seconds about her insistence of going to the Congo to further her practical education in medicine instead of Cambridge like her parents had wanted.

"Doctor Everett had every reason to put me in a dark room and ignore the disruptive human. The Ash would have let her, at least for a while. Maybe when the Fae forgot he had appointed a human, he would have insisted I be allowed to clean equipment. Instead Doctor Everett made sure I got access to any research material I needed and the time to study it all. She even gave me her personal set of textbooks after my first successful Fae diagnosis." Lauren had kept with a few other personal possessions rather than displayed on a bookcase.

"Were you two lovers?" The words were out before Bo could think about what she was asking and the jealousy in them was obvious enough that the furniture could have picked up on it.

Lauren stopped reading the file and found Bo staring at her with a desperation that got her full attention. "It wasn't like that Bo." Lauren placed both hands on Bo's cheeks, trying to comfort the wounded succubus. "Amelia cared for her patients with a level of dedication that went beyond what anyone would have asked. I admired her for that, and her patients loved her, but there was nothing romantic between us."

"I didn't mean to question you Lauren." Bo pulled the blonde's hands down and just held them between her own. "It's just…" Bo stopped but Lauren's smile told her the woman already knew her thoughts. "A succubus with insecurity issues, I bet there aren't any studies on that." Most people she met wanted to sleep with her and few ever bothered to consider she would be involved in a relationship. Even when Dyson would hover and look like he would kill the next Fae to buy her a drink she never went thirsty. Yet she couldn't handle the idea Lauren had a relationship with her mentor.

"Bo, I understand. Believe me I do." That Bo worried that she would be the one in their relationship to end things, to find someone else, or that she might hurt her just by being who she was, endeared her to Lauren in a way the woman hadn't known she could feel. "We need to get through this meeting though." Still, with a soft kiss that lasted as long as it needed to Lauren wanted to end any doubts Bo had that anyone that had ever meant, or would ever mean, as much as to her as the scared succubus that had changed her life so much. "I promise, later, I'll do whatever I can to prove it."

"You keep making promises like that doctor and we're not going to get anything done." Bo punctuated her sentence with a kiss of her own before picking up the file and looking over the pages. No one had ever kissed her the way Lauren did, which had left her troubled for weeks after their first night together and it definitely didn't help her brain in trying to read the world's worst hand writing when all she wanted was to push Lauren against the door and feel that kiss again. The pull of Lauren's bright energy wasn't helping either, but the current situation seemed to boil down to she had to get the boring professional stuff done to have more alone time with Lauren. "So this angry ex, what exactly were the guests dealing with?"

Lauren smiled at the succubus's sudden interest in actually helping. "The suspect was a Sluagh, a Fae that feeds off the animosity between humans, or Fae if they can, usually by convincing others they are being attacked in some way by another person." Lauren flipped the pages out of the way to allow Bo a look at the suspect and his injuries. "Your suggestion about Under Fae wasn't far off by the regard most Fae have for the genus. Usually though they keep to groups with other Sluagh, or Fae that share similar habits, but it's impossible to know if they tried integration and the other Fae rejected them or if it had been a purposeful choice to live apart and that lead to society deciding they were not Fae. The distrust of them is actually well documented though and entire families have purposely started riots and rebellions just for their own amusement."

"I take it the uncooperative dead guy is another one of these slugs?" Bo handed Lauren back the file she had barely looked at as and followed behind her as she placed it back in the file cabinet.

"Sluagh." Searching the proper place for the file Lauren looked over the other folders making sure the rest were still in order. "With the damage to his clan mark and unusual genus it just took the system a while to identify him. Unfortunately the Council will now have to get the Morrigan to accept that a car accident killed a Dark Fae and they might want to charge him post-mortem for the deaths of the Light Fae."

"Would that be like convincing the Elders a giant bird that wasn't supposed to exist suddenly wants to eat everyone on the planet so they need to help or more like a bunch of humans deciding the woman buying a new pair of shoes after having feet soup for lunch insulted their mother?" Bo stepped in behind Lauren, and placed her head on Lauren's right shoulder. "You hungry?"

Lauren smiled at Bo's awful joke, but it was a pair of hands slipping around her waist that really got her attention. "The, uhh, the situation is not as extraordinary as either of those, but I'm sure will be something that causes problems." During the lockdown Lauren had spent most of her days assembling the report and the Elders accepted her preliminary findings, which meant technically she had time for Bo's distraction, but her findings still felt incomplete. "For a Sluagh not to have the support of a group and cause that level of destruction, which will be a difficult to convince the Dark of when accusing one of their own of breaking the peace."

"Mmm, sounds like someone else's problem." She knew trying to distract Lauren from a project wouldn't last, but she could certainly enjoy it for a little while. Moving her hands down to Lauren's hips, and applying enough pressure for the doctor to get the idea to turn around, Bo leaned into her girlfriend, but didn't quite connect their lips together. "You didn't answer my question earlier."

Lauren felt her focus shift entirely to Bo and the hands slipping under her shirt. "I had breakfast."

"I asked if you were hungry, I didn't say anything about food Doctor."

The difficulty in trying to maintain any sense of professionalism shot straight up to a nine, as did something else, when Bo smirked at her. The scale probably broke as Bo leaned in and the familiar sensation of Bo's lips on her neck registered with her body. It wasn't a good idea to get too caught up, but rather than arguing Lauren closed her eyes and let the longing of the last few days be replaced with true desire.

As Bo found her exposed collar-bone and her girlfriend's hands started roaming too far south Lauren pushed Bo away just far enough to capture the woman's lips with her own. They had so much to get done in preparation for their meeting, but the project of Bo's leg suddenly between her thighs held her attention instead.

The moment might have lasted forever if her back didn't end up against the filing cabinet, causing the extended drawer to slam shut with enough force that half the compound probably heard it. Separating just enough for their bodies not be in contact Lauren glanced at her closed office door, hoping that was all they heard. Though, as Bo stepped back further, looking like the cat that definitely wanted to eat the canary, Lauren knew neither of them had been quiet.

"I think there are some books in the archives with more information." Her breathing was uneven, her skin felt flushed, her clothes were partly uneven and there was a succubus standing not three feet from her. If any of her staff came looking for her she would never live down getting caught fooling around with Bo in her office.

"Do the archives have a door that locks from the inside?" Lauren always made for an incredible test to keep her libido in check when the woman was calmly going about her day and Bo had made certain that the woman wasn't anywhere near calm. That Lauren only offered a roll of her eyes in response before heading for the door, as if she expected her just to follow. Bo held her ground for a full two seconds before following after her girlfriend.

xxx

The archives were not exactly far from Lauren's office, but watching the woman walk in front of her had made her new plan to follow Lauren's example and keep her hands to herself until they were away from the compound difficult. Worse than the walk though came from trying to stand still when Lauren had to reach for a book on a higher shelf and her shirt went up with her.

Lauren pulled the tome free and couldn't help if she lingered on her toes a bit longer than needed given that she could feel Bo's eyes on her. Turning to face Bo she couldn't help but smile at the sight of her favorite person being with her in one of her favorite places.

"I don't suppose both sides would settle for the idea of him for this Fae simply losing control? Things got out of hand but given he's rather dead because a panicking Fae that didn't bother to check what caused the brief bumping sensation under their car this all seems rather unnecessary." She had certainly been there. With Lauren it seemed like she found herself constantly on the verge of losing control, wanting to taste what she couldn't. Right now though, she just wanted a few hours with her girlfriend that had nothing to do with feeding. "The Morrigan should have plenty of experience dealing with out of control guys that try to make a name by being an asshole by now."

"Unfortunately I doubt they would even if it was true." Lauren found a brief section discussing the effects a Sylph's influence could have on other Fae and handed the large book to Bo. "If he could survive on his own he should have been able to control the situation unless some interfered."

"Lauren, you're going to have to help me out here." Bo had been intently listening to Lauren, but her girlfriend often worked ahead of the rest of the class and Bo definitely needed some tutoring to catch up.

"When Elder Kuari stopped those humans during those few minutes I believe she influenced the Sluagh as well. For the humans it would have been like they had lost track of time, or were day dreaming, but there is a reason Sylph are rarely involved in Fae matters." A Dark Fae pushing humans into attacking the Light, an Elder inspiring a Dark Fae to commit suicide and she had brought the unaligned succubus into the middle of it. "The inspiration from a Sylph will always become the dominate thought of the Fae it effects. Usually it goes away once someone starts the task so maybe they'll be distracted for a few hours, but if it's strong enough the compulsion can eliminate any sense of self-preservation."

"Would this be the same Elder Kuari that would have signed the paper asking that I show up a day later so I can look forward to being integrated by the Light Fae Elders about what I have seen in Dark territory?" Lauren had let her know about the decision well before a messenger showed up with an actual scroll showing the official time for her new meeting time with Council. The look on the face on the Fae that dropped it off when Kenzi asked if they had themes for each day of the week and there were being purposely rescheduled for the one where the Elders acted like jackasses and demanded answers to stupid questions had almost been worth the delay.

"Elder Kuari is the head of the Council until an interim Ash is appointed so most likely she would have signed the request." Lauren hadn't mentioned the Elder to Bo as it never seemed to come up, but the Elder had mentioned Bo to her several times and it occurred to Lauren she should have noticed the political leader's interest in the unaligned succubus rather than the woman she spoke of when asked. "Her car came under attack during the incident and she managed to subdue both Fae and human long off for most of the streets to get cleared of the injured."

"I'll have to buy her a drink at the Dal and hear all about it." Bo wasn't sold on the Elder being any different from the rest, except for perhaps a willingness to personally kill a Dark Fae that picked the wrong day to launch an attack. Though, based on what she heard the other night at the Dal her grandfather might want to give the dead Fae a medal. "Before I knew about the lockdown I called you from the Dal trying to lure you out with the promise of free drinks."

"I remember. Long term recall doesn't mean I suffer from short-term memory loss Bo." Searching for the two remaining texts had been her priority as Bo held the first and Lauren stayed on that task despite the succubus's amusing leap in topics.

"Well, after I hung up I ran into Dyson there. He and Trick were so deep into some conversation neither of them noticed Kenzi helping herself to a top shelf bottle." She hadn't talked to the wolf, or her grandfather, since that night, avoiding them and the Dal. "Kenzi picked up on enough of the conversation to realize the two were going on about the attack and its similarity to something that happened before anyone thought to give Dyson a badge."

"What did they say exactly?" Normally Bo mentioning Dyson made her want to change the subject, but the wolf had centuries of Fae knowledge that occasionally proved useful and mention of the problem in the city got Lauren's full attention.

"Some ancient history about Fae proving humans couldn't be trusted by starting a war and killing a bunch of them. Apparently the riot last week brought up all sorts of fond memories for him and Trick." Bo realized her reaction might be of importance as well on the list of things she hadn't mentioned to Lauren. "I may have responded by suggesting that the Ash used a rolled up newspaper when Dyson stepped out of line and that Trick needed to decide if he really wanted a human drinking at his bar before leaving."

Lauren raised an eyebrow in concern, questioning the outburst from her lover, but only received a shrug in response. "There are only a few events of wide scale human awareness in recorded history Bo and unfortunately they are fairly formulaic in how the Fae responded." That two of the oldest Fae she knew had found relevance about the incident in an old war story left Lauren wanting to understand the comparison as the recent attack seemed to only shared the result of deceased, or confused, humans. "You're sure that's what they were talking about?"

"Fairly sure. Trick said something about having been a while, but humans willing challenging the Fae and not caring that they weren't supposed to even know they exist stuck with him I guess." For the most part during the walk to the archives she got the usual activity of energy from the woman, with some spikes as she closed the heavy, sound proof, door behind them. So what had her worried wasn't necessarily the increase, but the way it made her skin crawl. Normally Lauren's energy fluctuated between her usual excitement when working on some sort of scientific thing and who needs a bed when there is a perfectly good wall to use. This sensation wasn't either of those. "Lauren, what's wrong?"

Not getting a response Bo moved to stand behind the woman and wrapped her arms around Lauren, stopping the world's most careful effort at ransacking a books case Bo had ever seen. "It's okay. I'm right here and nothing is going to happen. We can leave right now and the Elders can figure this out themselves."

"I'm fine." Out loud the words almost sounded true, but even with the feeling Bo's arms around her Lauren knew they were too quick. "I just need to find the right books."

"Really? Because I can promise the only thing you would need to find at the club house is the bed and I can help with that." Being able to touch Lauren again, to hold her when she was upset, had been missing from her life for too many days and Bo felt regret for not following her instincts when Lauren first mentioned the lockdown. "Talk to me Lauren. Please."

Bo's invitation, the way her body felt pressed against her own, the images her mind created, all definitely more tempting than explaining to a group of powerful Fae the investigation would need to start anew and be focused more internally. "There were anecdotal reports from witnesses going back millenniums claiming that some Fae were regularly trying to draw attention of humans. Some even claimed these Fae would kill other Fae without a weapon, but in a way that would mark the bodies as if they died in armed combat."

"Sounds like something Dyson said, though he seemed more upset that the Fae broke the rules than anything else." There were herd of elephants in the room with her and Lauren most of the time. Fae laws and Kenzi's interruptions both occupied plenty of real estate just on their own, but she knew for Lauren that Dyson really stood out as the largest of their unspoken problems.

"I assumed the authors had simply applied a euphemism to the occasional show of force where someone of influence would execute an Under Fae to scare the population into fearing an area or a neighboring people." Stepping forward Lauren noticed Bo stepped back and felt grateful that the woman understood she needed to resume the search for information. "That a group of organized Fae had openly defied clan leadership, repeatedly and within the last millennium, has never been public knowledge."

"Well, Trick and Dyson knew all about. They may have even been involved in it somehow." Bo felt the familiar anger over the lies and betrayals rising to the surface, just as it had with Dyson's comments. "It's not just humans though. Dyson mentioned they let some of the middle-men types that helped the top Fae earn the trust of humans die when angry mobs started demanding blood. Helped sell their bullshit I guess and warned anyone against trying it again." Bo looked around the room after realizing she had just been following Lauren around without any thought her feet had moved. "There's like a thousand books in here and you picked up three?"

"It's closer to 2,000 texts stored here actually, but that's not including those considered in active use or stored in the private vaults of the more prolific collectors." Lauren didn't enter the archives all that often. Most titles had digital copies and if she needed something that wasn't she would have someone else retrieve the book. The exception had been for a few days after the Lich, trying to find to find proof that Bo had done something any succubus could do if the circumstances where right. What little more she learned about succubi could only suggest that Bo shouldn't have kept any resemblance of control when in that state. "Though there is only about 10% of the archives information fully available to the public."

Finding the last book, and placing it on the stack of others Bo was holding without complaint, Lauren couldn't stop herself from placing a chaste kiss on the surprised woman. "You would have been horrible study partner, but apparently a great pack mule."

To most people the comment might have sounded rude, but Bo took pride in her ability to disrupt Lauren's schedule with more physically stimulating pursuits and felt perfectly happy to carry Lauren's books around. "I would have been a great study partner; we just wouldn't have got any work done."

"Actually, one of the key benefits in studying with a partner, or in a group, is that someone will step up and correct you if you lose focus. Of course if the disruption becomes too great most schools allow a certain level of disciplinary action within the group dynamic." To Lauren it had sounded harmless enough, with a complete understanding that study groups weren't official school groups and management fell to the students.

"Groups and discipline, clearly I missed out by not going to college." Satisfied with her work as Lauren started blushing, Bo moved to the exit and relented from any further comment.

Making the decision to add those words to the list of ones she had to avoid using around Bo, Lauren tried to not dwell on the woman's impeccable ability to make her explanation of a mundane event that happened hundreds of times sound like an orgy. With her thoughts drifting to the trouble Bo could have caused for her GPA it wasn't until she saw Elder Kuari approaching her and Bo that the meeting with the Elders came to mind.

"Doctor Lewis, doing a bit of light reading I see." The elder smiled fondly at the woman holding three books that separately could give a Sage pause. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to interrupt your schedule. The Council has canceled the meeting will not for today. In fact the Elders have decided to close the investigation unless another incident occurs. With the lockdown lifted I'll be leaving for a short while, but if you would still I can make sure the Elders see its completed form before I go."

"Certainly. I will need to collect the report from my office first as I didn't have copies readied for the Council yet." Having to her report filed on a close case without a chance to explain her findings wasn't ideal, but Lauren had the information ready and now she and Bo could look over the books earlier than expected.

"I have a few minutes to handle this now if that is alright with you." The Elder watched as a brief flash of concern came across the doctor's feature before the woman reigned in the emotion, but as fellow outcast she said nothing of it. "I would rather like to hear your take on the incident though. Can we use you're office?"

"Of course." Lauren wasn't sure what to do with Bo's presence, or if her being in the same room as an Elder without a specific request would be welcomed, but settled on remaining silent as it had been Elder Kuari that asked to meet Bo and now have a meeting in her office with the woman standing right next to her.

Bo had lugged the seemingly random books large enough to kill someone if dropped on their head around without issue until someone woman approached her girlfriend. Unfortunately her hands were supporting the books and suddenly dropping them would probably call attention to her reaching for the dagger in her boot. Lauren smiled at her, offering silent reassuring her they were okay as the conversation she wasn't a part of carried on, but there was something mixed with it, something troubled, which immediately sent her protective instincts into overdrive.

The interloper looked harmless enough. Being about the same height as Kenzi the woman looked short standing next to Lauren. The woman's curves were less pronounced than her own, but accented nicely enough in a simple skirt and turtleneck that they set off the succubus within her. To make matters worse the unknown visitor had put herself within five feet of Lauren why smiling and taking in the doctor's attire with a focus that lingered at certain places too long for her liking.

Lauren noticed Bo had gone stiff and took that as a sign to hurry along introductions before Bo did something the Council wouldn't overlook. Unfortunately the Elder suddenly stepped behind her and right into Bo's personal space.

"How rude of me Lauren I should realized I was interrupting a private meeting. I had expected my chance to meet the mighty Ysabeau today had vanished with the cancellation and my change in travel plans." She smiled at the succubus, getting only a glare in return. The rumors were true and she could still feel the sexual energy between her and the doctor and not the sort created in a passing moment. Instead the sensation lingered with a stubbornness she had rarely seen even between Fae. "You'll have to forgive my intrusion Champion, but I need a few minutes of Doctor Lewis's time before I left. I'm sure you can understand the Council not wanting to go without Lauren's wisdom during these troubling times."

Bo just tightened her glare at the woman, not wanting the visitor anywhere near Lauren, but her girlfriend didn't seem troubled by her and that single idea managed to put a forced smile on her face. Though done purely for the sake of her girlfriend, who hopefully missed the former display completely, Bo got a seemingly more genuine smile in response. "Lauren is very considerate in making sure those who need her help get it. Are you one of the new interns Lauren was promised?" There was nothing in the woman's stance, or speech, that suggested she would be that low on the pecking order but questioning the status of Fae had proved an effective means of getting information without having to reveal any.

"Bo!" Lauren wanted to say something more, to explain what the unaligned Fae had just suggested, but when Elder Kuari laughed it surprised her into silence.

"I think what Doctor Lewis was going to say was that no new Fae have been assigned to fill the gaps in personnel, but I'll make sure it is priority at the next meeting. Of course you already knew that I wasn't working under Doctor Lewis though. In fact I would be willing to wager my life on you knowing who I am." The elder hadn't expected such protective instincts from a succubus, but occasionally a Fae offered a welcomed surprise.

"Elder Kuari." Bo didn't like the way the woman was smiling, or the rise in the temperature of the room that followed her comment about being under Lauren, but she kept the polite smile on her face all the same. "It must be nice running things until the clans choose a new Ash. How goes the search for someone willing to hunt down a prisoner and kill them in order to be considered true leadership material for the Light Fae?"

"I cannot say I enjoy the Stag hunt, or much of the campaigning that comes before it, but yes I will be maintaining this territory for the time being. We'll have to sit down some time and have a proper discussion about those old traditions. I would love to hear an outsider's perspective that doesn't come from a Dark Fae suggesting a higher body count." Kuari considered the succubus for moment in silence. Lachlan had left plenty of notes about the difficult woman, but until meeting her in person she had assumed he had exaggerated most of it.

"Elder Kuari, if you still have time I have the report ready." Lauren figured Bo would want to put the books down, but it wasn't until the silence that she had remembered why the Elder had stopped her originally.

"Unfortunately Doctor Lewis, I believe we will have to discuss it when I return. I'll be gone for a few days, but after that I would thoroughly enjoy a chance to sit down with you and the Champion and you can explain some of the key details of the incident that has troubled me." After offering a smile and a tilt of her head to the good doctor, Kuari stepped back from the succubus and opened the door to Lauren's office. "Of course had I known the famous Bo had arrived at the compound I wouldn't have even suggested you worry about the report and left you to focus on the important task I clearly disrupted. I should have realized it was a bad time when I noticed you were without your lab coat." With a last glance at the energy moving between the pair the Elder smiled and waited for the two women to pass in front of her. "Still, I'm glad to have this chance to meet the unaligned Ysabeau as it's not every day a sylph encounters a succubus, let alone one that chose humans and yet became Champion of the Fae."

Bo didn't take her eyes off the Elder. It didn't matter she seemed nice enough, or how small the woman appeared, only the way her eyes looked at Lauren with an intent that suggested she liked seeing Lauren without a lab coat a little too much. Offering a girlfriend a confused look about why a sylph meeting a succubus would be a big deal, and why the woman wasn't leaving, Bo got an amused eye roll, but no real help.

"Elder Kuari, I'm sure I speak for Bo when I say we look forward to another chance to talk with you." Bowing her head, Lauren tried not to laugh as Bo's expression suddenly changed from confused to annoyed. Once the door shut though, Lauren smiled at her girlfriend and started gathering up her few personal items.

"Seriously? How long would she have stood there if you didn't do that Lauren?" To be that arrogant as to stand in someone else's space and assume they are going to bow down seemed excessive even for a Fae.

"Sylphs are a very traditional Fae. With the meeting canceled we have plenty of time to go over the details of their culture if you like." Lauren stepped to within a few feet of her girlfriend, appreciating the near instantaneous response of Bo closing the gap and a pair of arms settling behind her neck.

"Sounds like the perfect topic to discuss why enjoying a hot bath." The worries over the Fae would still be there, waiting for them in a few hours, but Bo had plans on making it a very eventful few hours.

"I'd like to stop my place this time and get a few things first if that's okay." For the most part Lauren could get by with what the club house had to offer, but keeping a change of clothes there would require she actually get them from her apartment first.

"Kenzi would probably appreciate if you wore something other than my robe." Bo certainly had to disagree with her bestie on that policy as she preferred Lauren wearing nothing at all, but that would eventually create some awkward moments for the three of them.

"Mmm, well if you carry the books to the car I'll let you pick out what no one else gets to see." Lauren felt the familiar warmth of Bo's body pull away slowly from her own, which surprised her as Bo usually wasn't one to take the first offer, but after noticing Bo's eyes seemed focused on trying to figure out what she had on under her shirt the cooperation made sense. "The books are still on the desk Bo."

"I thought I saw a stain." The stack of books did look rather daunting, especially considering it was basically a pile of papers, but Lauren really knew how to motivate her and if she didn't do something physical soon they weren't going to make it to Lauren's.

"On the inside of my shirt?" Lauren quirked her eyebrow, but her question only seemed to draw Bo's attention back to chest. Deciding better than to trust the woman's audacity as they left her office, Lauren followed Bo out of the compound, keeping some resemblance of professionalism even as she enjoyed the leather-clad view of Bo walking in front of her. It was certainly going to be a long night.

* * *

**To anyone whose read this story so far, thank you. The amount of reviews, follows and favorites has been incredible and completely unexpected. Further ****reviews, follows and favorites will be loved and adored, much like canon doccubus. **If there are errors with this chapter it's my fault as I seem to have lost my beta during my hiatus from the FanFic community.


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